COVID-19 News

[Vitolo]

I have only made small obvious contributions to this thread, as I do not enjoy even thinking of politics, which is where the discussion borders.
I have found thoughtful commentary about our situation, from a friend of a dear friend.
He says:

BLAMING THE OTHER VICTIMS
By xxxxxxxxxxxx
It is said that when the Red Sea closed up after the followers of Moses crossed safely and the pursuing army of Egypt was drowned, the angels in heaven began to rejoice. According to that story, the Ruler of the Universe chastised the angels angrily. How could they exult when even the smallest part of creation was being destroyed?
The question still has validity.
There is a large and only loosely connected group of people who have been convinced to associate the commonsense measures needed to end the current pandemic with a loss of personal freedom. They refuse to accept the crisis as real, refuse to stay home, refuse to adhere to social distance recommendations, and refuse to wear protective face masks. These people have been given the Kool-Aid of misinformation and have been surrounded by dog-whistle provocations. Their irresponsible actions and escalating violence endanger all of us. However, they are also victims. The true perpetrators are the powerful few who mobilize and manipulate the mobs for purposes of political and financial gain. Yes, the mobs swallow the lies and distortions willingly, but they are also victims of the exploiters.
Yet, the rejoicing goes on. Every time one of the “it’s all a hoax” followers is sickened with covid-19, or dies from it, the news is posted on social media with great glee. There is a spirit of “Hooray, hooray—they tried to infect us all and it backfired.
However, consider for a moment that all those covid-19 victims are also brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, and friends of someone. It is all too easy to dismiss them as evil folks who have arrogantly brought about their own demises. That may indeed be true. Yet, there is another way of seeing them. they are also victims of something greater than themselves. In many ways they are helpless puppets of a huge and anti-humanitarian machine. Their leaders pull the strings, for reasons of corporate profit, for political reasons, or to “divide and conquer.” The brainwashed puppets grab their AK-47s and dance to the dischordant music. Profit-greedy and politically motivated organizers seduce them to march for the right to catch the virus and infect the rest of us. This transformation into zombie-like slogan shouters did not happen suddenly. It was not started just now, as a product of this issue or this unhinged leader. The creation this base is part of a much larger process. The deterioration of education, the denigration of critical thinking, the injection of fear and hatred in the common discourse are all ingredients in the creation of those terrorists who wrongly usurp the title of “protestors.”
Yes, the pandemic deniers often die as a result of their rampant stupidity. However, let us look to the real culprits and think carefully before we take the deaths of these other victims as a cause for celebration.
xxxxxxxxx

 

[cybrguy]

There is a large and only loosely connected group of people who have been convinced to associate the commonsense measures needed to end the current pandemic with a loss of personal freedom. They refuse to accept the crisis as real, refuse to stay home, refuse to adhere to social distance recommendations, and refuse to wear protective face masks. These people have been given the Kool-Aid of misinformation and have been surrounded by dog-whistle provocations. Their irresponsible actions and escalating violence endanger all of us. However, they are also victims. The true perpetrators are the powerful few who mobilize and manipulate the mobs for purposes of political and financial gain. Yes, the mobs swallow the lies and distortions willingly, but they are also victims of the exploiters.

Your acquaintance seems to me to be a kind lover of mankind who recognizes that many of those on the wrong side of these arguments have not gotten there from their own research or belief system or worldview, but instead have chosen badly on who to believe and trust and may not be guilty of the ugliness themselves (tho I can't see how they could miss it). They, according to your acquaintance, are victims themselves, of bad choices, misplaced trust, and Machiavellian bad guys who merely use them as instruments to enact their illicit aims.
I'm sorry, but no matter how hard I may try to feel badly for them, I can't. Whether the real motivation is theirs or not doesn't matter one little bit as they continue to threaten our children and our elderly and, really, all of us. Whether they understand that they are being lied to or not, it is their actions and with their cooperation that America trails the world in managing this virus. Their behavior will still lead to sick children, or at the very least to sick and potentially dead teachers, parents and grandparents. They make this all possible. Without them our government could not get away with trying to make rich people richer at the cost of tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of American lives. I don't for a second believe that the economy is more important than human lives, and if they do than they are clearly fucked up themselves and sympathy is merely wasted. Nor do I believe that there is any way for America to HAVE a functioning economy while the virus continues to rage. If they have a brain at all, or a heart, they have to be able to see the destruction that they reap by the positions they take and their willingness to imagine that the answer to this can come from anywhere other than from Science and Medicine. We ignore those experts at our peril and that should be obvious to anyone and everyone who doesn't have an agenda that ignores the American people..

 

[Gunky]

This is not health and safety vs. the economy. There is no way to plunk for the economy ahead of health and safety. It is simply a fallacy to say that the economy can just open up and let the chips fall where they may. It doesn't work that way. People won't go to work if they expect to be infected there, they won't go to a restaurant or store, won't send their kids to school, etc. The only way the economy can recover - for bosses and workers alike - is for the health and safety issues to come under control. There is only one sequence of events that can work. Other countries have done it. We have the technical resources and know-how to get this under control. Why can't we?

 

[Vitolo]

Why......

Why can't.........

Why can't we?

Today I had to go for a root canal.
They were immaculate in their adherence to protocol.
Leaving, the drive home was pretty distant, but all along a main street here.
I was freaked out.. numb in the face, looking into a couple of restaurants, lunch spots, and Truck stop.
Nobody wore masks, and sat closer than they should.
Closer to home there were a few "Bar/Grill" places that were closed for a good while.
Clientele push it to the extreme in their thinking that since this place is open, then all here are safe.
Clinking glasses in celebratory glee... letting the glasses rim wth it's icy moisture beading around the glass
touch their neighbor's glass... around HIS glasses rim.
Rather than feeling like going in for a Beer, I shuddered thinking silently
of the bar as breeding ground. No... Ground Zero!
There were dozens of individual Ground Zeros on my drive home.
I feel my face flush with embarrassment for my fellow man.

 

[cybrguy]

Over the weekend I ate at the first restaurant I have eaten at since March. I take out from resturants all the time, but this is the first time I ate at one. Why did I do that? Because they had very widely spaced tables outside and I thought I should reward them for that. And it was very quiet there.

 

[Gunky]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...886854-d02d-11ea-8c55-61e7fa5e82ab_story.html

ANY DAY now, the United States will cross another grim threshold of death from the coronavirus: 150,000 people lost. By contrast, South Korea has lost 299 people, Germany 9,125. Per million population, the United States has lost 423.6, Germany 110 and South Korea 5.8. Behind these statistics lies the epic failure of President Trump and his administration to mount a national response in the face of catastrophe.

The experience of other nations in fighting outbreaks — even raging outbreaks — should make Americans realize: It doesn’t have to be this way. The United States could tamp down the wildfires of virus in two months. The methods are not a secret, and they are not rocket science. Two prominent public health experts have suggested that with a concerted effort, the United States could reach near normal by Oct. 1. Andy Slavitt, a former health care official in the Obama administration, and Peter Hotez, a professor and dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, have separately outlined how the United States might reach a point where schools and businesses can reopen.

“Let’s say we threw the kitchen sink at COVID-19 in the U.S. Let’s say we started now with the goal of being open for business in October — meaning schools, in person voting, sports, everything. If we did everything. What would happen?” Mr. Slavitt wrote on Twitter. Dr. Hotez wondered whether “potentially we could even launch a college football season or the NFL?”

What would it take? Both experts recommend a nationwide, concerted federal effort to break virus transmission, going beyond the “flatten the curve” attempts of the spring. This would be hard to do, demanding sacrifice and economic pain, but paying off in a more sustained recovery later on. Dr. Hotez recommends, through federal leadership, setting a national target for containment, such as one new case per million residents a day, although something less strict might also work. To get there, Mr. Slavitt suggests universal mask-wearing; keeping bars, restaurants, churches and transit closed; prohibiting interstate travel and stopping inbound arrivals from abroad. He also suggests setting up hotels for those with symptoms to isolate, free, and implementing a major national lockdown, more severe than in March and April with many more workers staying home.

“After a few weeks, what would happen is what happened in other countries,” he wrote, noting that the virus spread would plummet. “Then what? You know how we don’t have enough tests? We would have plenty. Plenty to test everyone going into work, to school, to church, to an event. And if there’s a stray case or a dozen, we would find it in a day.” Dr. Hotez notes that with containment, “contact tracing actually becomes feasible.” The reopening would have to be done carefully, with continued precautions and surveillance.
It would be a difficult summer. But the payoff could be normalcy in the autumn. Sure, there would be resistance. To bring off such an effort would require persuasive leadership — the kind that has been lacking for so many months.

I am confident we could do as the article suggests. However there is a leadership deficit and a bunch of our people are not yet on board (thanks to our dumbass leadership).

And another thing (I'm getting all my gripes out). These politicians are shoving trillions of dollars out the door. Why are repubs balking at a measly few tens of billions for testing and tracing? (hits forehead with palm).

 

[ClearBlueLou]

150,199 deaths so far, latest figure - or about one bad flu-year total every 45-50 days...for the last six months

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opin...886854-d02d-11ea-8c55-61e7fa5e82ab_story.html

I am confident we could do as the article suggests. However there is a leadership deficit and a bunch of our people are not yet on board (thanks to our dumbass leadership).

And another thing (I'm getting all my gripes out). These politicians are shoving trillions of dollars out the door. Why are repubs balking at a measly few tens of billions for testing and tracing? (hits forehead with palm).

Because they’re shoving that money at billionaires and the corporations they own - just like with their signature “tax cuts”, which shift those taxes down to a lower rung on the earnings ladder...their entire effort, economically and politically, is not to pay ANY amount for ANYTHING they can’t actually *buy*. They’ve got their servants, their assistants, their employees, why should *they* put a DIME toward keeping anyone or anything else safe and/or alive? It’s better than slavery, the slaves today have to pay the cost of their own survival...okay, reeling it back in....

Notice that virtually none of those trillions are going to the people who are about to be thrown into the street when (no business x overdue mortgage) x 4, or 5...by latest available figures whether rental or mortgage, THIRTY PERCENT of US households face eviction in thirty days....or have come to the end of their financial rope in some other fashion (mortgage-free but out of resources)

Remember, servants are ESSENTIAL for the wealthy - and therefore disposable: use one, if it breaks, use another; it doesn’t matter, there’s more where they came from (but that gets into our hypocrisy of immigration, so I won’t go there)

 

[Vitolo]

I want badly to post what I wrote above on Facebook... but I am long time friends with a few dozen people in the culinary Industry.
They might think I am raining on their parade.
A few of them have opened!

 

[Tranquility]

As Trump learned with the media, it's pretty easy to pull the strings of people who think primarily with emotions.

Covid-19 infections leave an impact on the heart, raising concerns about lasting damage

Notice that virtually none of those trillions are going to the people who are about to be thrown into the street when (no business x overdue mortgage) x 4, or 5...by latest available figures whether rental or mortgage, THIRTY PERCENT of US households face eviction in thirty days....or have come to the end of their financial rope in some other fashion (mortgage-free but out of resources)

Some governors are extending the forebearance against evictions. At the end of the day, any change is just going to give a little more time. Even if one could not be evicted until the end of the year, how many renters will be able to come up with the money to bring rent back up current then? Landlords know that once a tenant gets more than a month behind, that money is never coming. While 30% is a little inflammatory, the numbers are high and a lot of people are going to get evicted. One thing the feds can do on their own that would show some fairness without costing another brazillion is to remove the restrictions in section 8 on having been evicted and their voucher. They already have the flexibility:
When deciding to deny assistance, public housing authorities must take into consideration several factors, as related to a specific case. Thus, the case severity, the extent of culpability of family members and the effects of termination or denial of assistance on other family members not involved in the criminal actions will all be considered when the PHA makes a final decision.
An executive order might (Better would be a law. An executive order might not get passed the courts.) be able to put the thumb of the scales of the eviction factor to keep people in housing.

20 Million Renters Are at Risk of Eviction; Policymakers Must Act Now to Mitigate Widespread Hardship

 

[florduh]

I'm really glad I didn't see this headline while I was vaping THC last night...

Trump’s New Favorite COVID Doctor Believes in Alien DNA, Demon Sperm, and Hydroxychloroquine

A Houston doctor who praises hydroxychloroquine and says that face masks aren’t necessary to stop transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus has become a star on the right-wing internet, garnering tens of millions of views on Facebook on Monday alone. Donald Trump Jr. declared the video of Stella Immanuel a “must watch,” while Donald Trump himself retweeted the video.

Before Trump and his supporters embrace Immanuel’s medical expertise, though, they should consider other medical claims Immanuel has made—including those about alien DNA and the physical effects of having sex with witches and demons in your dreams.

Immanuel, a pediatrician and a religious minister, has a history of making bizarre claims about medical topics and other issues. She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches.

 

[EmDeemo]

At the end of the day, any change is just going to give a little more time. Even if one could not be evicted until the end of the year, how many renters will be able to come up with the money to bring rent back up current then?

The fucking point is more time so there isnt an epidemic of evictions now, as later down the line, financially, there maybe other solutions.

Entirely the whole point is more time not being homeless. More time in their homes, more time with a roof, more time not begging or dying in the streets.

Showing empathy for other people doesnt mean thinking with emotions, it just means you have some emotions and can identify with another's struggle. Its not thinking illogically with 'feels'.

Its also pretty easy to pull the strings of people who dont know what theyre talking about and just parrot garbage in defense of the great leader.

I'm really glad I didn't see this headline while I was vaping THC last night...

Trump’s New Favorite COVID Doctor Believes in Alien DNA, Demon Sperm, and Hydroxychloroquine

A Houston doctor who praises hydroxychloroquine and says that face masks aren’t necessary to stop transmission of the highly contagious coronavirus has become a star on the right-wing internet, garnering tens of millions of views on Facebook on Monday alone. Donald Trump Jr. declared the video of Stella Immanuel a “must watch,” while Donald Trump himself retweeted the video.

Before Trump and his supporters embrace Immanuel’s medical expertise, though, they should consider other medical claims Immanuel has made—including those about alien DNA and the physical effects of having sex with witches and demons in your dreams.

Immanuel, a pediatrician and a religious minister, has a history of making bizarre claims about medical topics and other issues. She has often claimed that gynecological problems like cysts and endometriosis are in fact caused by people having sex in their dreams with demons and witches.

The religious right will be down with the demon and ill health talk, the conspiracy nutso's will be down with the alien DNA claims.

Good choice

 

[Gunky]

Not only that but how the hell is the economy supposed to get back up on its feet if a bunch of families are dumped on the street? This might be a good time to rescind those stupid Trump tax cuts for billionaires.

 

[Tranquility]

The tax cuts brought in more revenue to the government. What happens when we reverse them?

But, sadly, Twitter users put up a lot of great charts but it's hard to show them here. For a summary of some Covid charts you can see that might present the data differently from how you're used to:
Ten Coronavirus Charts and Graphs You Need to See

And, this article tells a story I'm hearing a lot. People who are older are just not that interested in rebuilding from the Covid shut downs. They look at their possibilities and see that throwing it all on the table again might not be in their best interest. This is a time for those with energy.
These Businesses Lasted Decades. The Virus Closed Them for Good.

U.S. based Moderna starts phase III on their vaccine:
First US Phase III trial for COVID-19 vaccine begins

 

[florduh]

The tax cuts brought in more revenue to the government.

No

And, this article tells a story I'm hearing a lot. People who are older are just not that interested in rebuilding from the Covid shut downs.

And I'm hearing the same here sans-lockdowns. Traffic is down because there is a pandemic. The "everyone just ignore the virus and shop/eat out/travel like you did in 2019" horse has left the barn. The secret is out. This idea that we can improve the economy without controlling the pandemic is silly.

 

[EmDeemo]

No


And I'm hearing the same here sans-lockdowns. Traffic is down because there is a pandemic. The "everyone just ignore the virus and shop/eat out/travel like you did in 2019" horse has left the barn. The secret is out. This idea that we can improve the economy without controlling the pandemic is silly.

Its almost like humans may have to adapt to new conditions, not just carry on regardless.

England and Australia arent that far behind the US on this whole 'im a free person, I dont have to wear a mask, you dont have the authority, plus this disease is a conspiracy, I go where I want' etc etc etc.

Sad.

 

[florduh]

I dont have to wear a mask, you dont have the authority, plus this disease is a conspiracy, I go where I want' etc

I live in the epicenter of that mindset, and even here businesses are failing, with no lockdowns. There aren't enough dumb dumbs to keep the economy going. Ask a restaurant owner how long they could survive a 20% drop in traffic. And way more than 20% are modifying their behavior due to COVID.

 

[Tranquility]

No

Yes.
U.S. government - total receipts 2000-2025 Published by Erin Duffin, Mar 3, 2020 This statistic shows the total receipts of the U.S. government in fiscal years 2000 to 2019, with estimated data until 2025. The total receipts of the government added up to about 3.46 trillion U.S. dollars in 2019. Total receipts of the U.S. government in fiscal years 2000 to 2025

 

[florduh]

If you expected to receive "X" dollars, but ended up receiving 200 billion dollars less than "X", then the claim "The tax cuts brought in more revenue to the government" is very misleading. The article I posted explains this very clearly.

 

[EmDeemo]

There aren't enough dumb dumbs to keep the economy going.

Theres the rub innit. The morons saying keep every where open dont realise there arent enough other morons to keep every where open.

 

[Tranquility]

If you expected to receive "X" dollars, but ended up receiving 200 billion dollars less than "X", then the claim "The tax cuts brought in more revenue to the government" is very misleading. The article I posted explains this very clearly.

Ahh, expectations. The expectation when they score a cut in taxes is that no one changes behavior. I expect to make a million dollars next year. Depending on factors, of course.
The Dynamics of Scoring A Congressional Tale

For the exact places on an individual's tax return where the "more" came from (You're looking at the difference between 2016 and 2017 as most related back to the 2017 filing year):
Introduction and Changes in Law

The reason revenues were up even though taxes were down is said to be the rise in the economy. Raising the number and income of people with jobs paying taxes and the like tend to raise revenues even if the rate they pay is less.

 

[florduh]

The reason revenues were up even though taxes were down is said to be the rise in the economy

And inflation. Adjusted for inflation, total revenues fell from FY2017 to FY2018.

In any case our current economy is in for a rough time. Because consumers think this pandemic is out of control:

US consumer confidence tumbles in July as COVID-19 spreads

The consumer confidence index is closely watched for signals it can send about future consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of economic activity.

The Conference Board said that the large decline in the expectations index reflected big drops in sentiment in Michigan, Florida, Texas and California, all states that have seen a resurgence in coronavirus cases.

About 4.2 million confirmed COVID-19 cases have been reported in the United States, according to Johns Hopkins University, and there have been more than 146,000 deaths.

“Consumers have grown less optimistic about the short-term outlook for the economy and labor market and remain subdued about their financial prospects,” said Lynn Franco, senior director of economic indicators at the Conference Board.

 

[Gunky]

That whole biz about lower taxes cause greater government revenue is one of those zombie beliefs that continues despite massive evidence piling up since Reagan's tax cuts to the contrary. (When Reagan came in, the US was the worlds greatest creditor nation. 8 years later we were the worlds greatest debtor nation. ) This myth is utterly laughable at this point. Come on. Years and years of statistics prove it is simply wrong. Brownback staked his reputation on it as governor and now his reputation is shit because it doesn't work, demonstrably. But repubs have never let factual evidence get in the way of their ideological items of faith. Trickle down - my ass.

No the rich have had a wonderful ride ever since Reagan and it shows in the levels of inequality here. Now the nation is in trouble and it is time for those same rich who have done incredibly well to start paying their fair share.

 

[Tranquility]

And inflation. Adjusted for inflation, total revenues fell from FY2017 to FY2018.

Inflation is considered in the second data set.
Table A. All Individual Income Tax Returns: Selected Income and Tax Items in Current and Constant 1990 Dollars, Tax Years 2013–2017

That whole biz about lower taxes cause greater government revenue is one of those zombie beliefs that continues despite massive evidence piling up since Reagan's tax cuts to the contrary. (When Reagan came in, the US was the worlds greatest creditor nation. 8 years later we were the worlds greatest debtor nation. ) This myth is utterly laughable at this point. Come on. Years and years of statistics prove it is simply wrong. Brownback staked his reputation on it as governor and now his reputation is shit because it doesn't work, demonstrably. But repubs have never let factual evidence get in the way of their ideological items of faith. Trickle down - my ass.

Tax cuts are not tax cuts. They have effect on how people behave and some are better than others. The U.S. has a spending problem. Not that Trump, republicans in general or any democrat care. But, the results up to just before the pandemic were beyond what anyone would have guessed. Employment figures alone would make anyone saying they didn't work have to do a lot of supposing as to why that employment is actually bad for revenue.

Here's a quick summary on how states are doing:
America Is Reopening. But have we flattened the curve?

Florida seems to be over the peak, as are others, while some states are still on the upward swing. While not much in the news, there is still a basic math claim in regards to Covid in the population.

The end of exponential growth: The decline in the spread of coronavirus
with a sub heading of:
A similar pattern – rapid increase in infections to a peak in the sixth week, and decline from the eighth week – is common everywhere, regardless of response policies

The *mathematician* with no claim or training in medical modeling said months ago, the infections follow a pattern.

I wonder, if we were to treat population locus rather than political boundaries, if the virus doesn't behave exactly as predicted by Ben-Israel. States might be an approximation of population groups, especially with interstate limitations on some travel. But there are a lot of populations between states that are very close together that make state comparison results fuzzy.

The rise in the sun belt may just be because the main infection got there later and other states with greater numbers of infections or deaths may have just started the curve earlier. States that did not get hit at the beginning or at this current time may have the same numbers and issues soon.

 

[EmDeemo]

That whole biz about lower taxes cause greater government revenue is one of those zombie beliefs that continues despite massive evidence piling up since Reagan's tax cuts to the contrary. (When Reagan came in, the US was the worlds greatest creditor nation. 8 years later we were the worlds greatest debtor nation. ) This myth is utterly laughable at this point. Come on. Years and years of statistics prove it is simply wrong. But repubs have never let factual evidence get in the way of their ideological items of faith. Trickle down - my ass.

That and the fact that a bunch of other countries arent going bankrupt because of having a system that cares a bit more about its citizens. Once the shit hits the fan, this difference becomes even more stark.

 

[florduh]

An eye-roll "Like" button would save a whole lotta time here.

States that did not get hit at the beginning or at this current time may have the same numbers and issues soon.

This is likely true.